Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Rasoherina: The Decline of a Monarchy

Two tumultuous monarch had
ruled Merina after the death of King Radama I. His successor and wife brought
the nation into a bloodbath. Meanwhile, his supposedly son ruled too openly to
the influences of the foreigners leading eventually to his downfall. Next to
rule was widow, either forced or in fear, she began a period of tolerance and
shift on the power to rule the Merina Kingdom. These was the reign of Queen
Rasoherina.

Rasoherina was closely
related to the royal Merina family. She was a descendant of a former ruler of a
neighboring kingdom of Merina. She also had Queen Ranavalona as her aunt. She
was born in 1814. She was later married to her cousin, Prince Ratoko. When
Queen Ranavalona I passed away, Prince Ratoko assumed the throne as King Radama
II.

Radama II reign proved to brief.
His reign saw a rapid phase of liberalization to the influences of the Europeans.
British and French began to show their interest on exploitation of natural
resources of the island of Madagascar. Radama also showed tolerance to Christianity.
He also began the westernization of the Merina Kingdom. His fast phased reform
concerned not just the conservatives but also within the progressive officials
as well. In 1863 he wanted to emulate the European tradition of dueling. This,
however, was perceive by the liberals, with Prime Minister Rainivoninahitriniony
on the lead, to be dangerous. And so in May of 1833, he and his brother, the
commander of the army, Rainilaiarivony, launched a coup against the King and
his allies. Finally ending with the strangulation of King Radama II.

The two officials then saw
fit that the widow of the King to take the throne. Either force or not, she
took the throne as Queen Rasoherina. Before she ascended to the throne, the murderers
of his husband forced Rasoherina to sign an agreement. The agreement bounded
the Queen to several conditions. This included that the Queen must never drink
alcohol or any strong beverages. She must institute a judiciary based on trial
by jury. She must also outlaw the dangerous and deadly ordeal of tangena. She
must also continue the religious tolerance policies made by his husband. And
finally, she must not disband the army. Rasoherina silently complied with them.

Under Rasoherina, the crown of Merina saw a
decline on its absolute power. After the Prime Minister showed his strength, he
became the power behind the throne. To further secure his power base, Rainivoninahitriniony
decided to marry the widow Queen.

He then began to reverse
some of King Radama II’s policies and commitments. For example, he revoked the
controversial Charter of Joseph Francois Lambert agreed upon during the time of
King Radama II. This resulted into a diplomatic row between France and the
Merina Kingdom. Negotiations for compensation began in soon after. This would
result to an agreement made in August 1865 where the Merina Kingdom was to pay
240,000 dollars to France. However, the agreement was made after Prime Minister
Rainivoninahitriniony was ousted to power.

On July 14, 1864, a move was
made to remove the Prime Minister. Excess of the Rainivoninahitriniony
scandalized many. Individuals in the government and court wanted him out. Then
some of the antis chose the Prime Minister’s brother to rally them in deposing
him. Queen Rasoherina supported his ousting by removing him of power and
divorcing him. Then Rainilaiarivony took the post of Prime Minister and also
married the Queen to cement his position. Rainilaiarivony would hold the
position of until the fall of the Kingdom, and on its wake were marriages to
the successors of Rasoherina.

Under Queen Rasoherina’s
reign, the country made reforms. The country continued to the policy of openness
of Radama II but in a much slower pace. Religious freedom was exercise. However,
fears of return to the anti-Christian policy of Ranavalona I loomed. The Queen
supported the traditional ancestral talisman religion of the Kingdom but she
did nothing to stop the propagation of Christianity. In fact, in 1867, the
first Christian church was built in Ambatonakanga which commemorates the
martyrs during Ranavalona’s reign. In civil affairs, a code of law was also
made in 1866. The military was also strengthen when a recruitment drive began
in the same year.

The reign of Rasoherina also
saw the strengthening of ties with western countries. In June 27, 1865, a
treaty of friendship and commerce was signed with Great Britain. Another one
followed with a same treaty signed with the Americans on February 14, 1867. The
diplomatic row with France, however, hampered the signing of a same treaty. A
treaty of friendship and commerce was only signed with France only after the
death of the Queen.

The reign of Rasoherina
lasted only for five years. During late 1867, Rasoherina became suddenly ill
after a tour of Andevoranto. The Queen never recovered. And on April 1, 1868,
the Queen passed away. A coup was plotted by the former Prime Minister Rainivoninahitriniony
to install his puppet, a boy named Rasata. It failed. Rasoherina was succeeded
by a relative who took the name of Ranavalona II.

The reign of Rasoherina
marked the decline of the absolute power of the monarchy. It was also the start
of the rule of Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony. Rasoherina’s reign was the start
of the decline not just of the royal family, but the Kingdom itself.See also:AndrianampoinimerinaMerina KingdomRadama IRadama IIRanavalona IRanavalona IIRanavalona IIIBibliography:Akyeampong, E. Dictionary of African Biography. New York: Dictionary of African Biography, 2012.Cousins, W. Madagascar of To-day: A Sketch of the Island, With Chapters on Its Past History and Present Prospects. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1895.Jackson, G. Women Leaders of Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Pacific: A Biographical Reference. United States: Xlibris, 2009.The Cambridge
History of Africa. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1976.